Chile and Venezuela will face off in a crucial World Cup Qualifier on Friday.
Chile currently sits in the fourth and final qualifying spot in the CONMEBOL while Venezuela is in a battle for fifth place and an elusive playoff spot. The top four teams in the CONMEBOL qualifiers clinch a spot in Brazil next summer while the fifth place team will take on the AFC playoff winner in a two-legged contest.
Chile has 21 points and is tied with Ecuador for third place. A win coupled with a tie between Colombia and Ecuador would push Chile into a second place tie with Colombia. However, a loss to Venezuela would keep Chile in fourth and would cut their lead over Venezuela to only two points heading into Tuesday's qualifiers.
This game is essential to both sides as they will be playing their 14th round of qualifiers; other teams such as Colombia and Ecuador have only played 12 matches and have a game in hand on both of these sides.
Venezuela has key matches against Paraguay and Peru in its final two qualifiers; both are winnable matches as the teams are among the lower standing CONMEBOL qualifiers. Meanwhile, Chile has to visit Colombia and play Ecuador in its final two matches; both of those clubs are above Chile in the standings and could do a lot to damage its hopes if they lose against Venezuela on Friday.
Prediction: Both teams battle to a 1-1 draw.
Start Time: 8:30 p.m. EST
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